


Back and Forth

by Tubacabra



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Shinsou Hitoshi Replaces Mineta Minoru, also, and the other pro heroes, as well as class 1A, i know nothing about spirits but this is my take on what a vengeful one would b like, the rest of the gaang will be there, very slow updates!!!!!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:41:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23610964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tubacabra/pseuds/Tubacabra
Summary: Going into the forest with Aang to deal with a spirit going after Fire Nation citizens was only supposed to take a few hours, maybe a day at most. Zuko never thought he would end up in a completely different world by the end of the trip.Todoroki Shouto was walking across the UA campus with his class and his teacher, weary over the threats against his father that included him by an unknown villain. Suddenly, his fears came true and said villain appeared behind him to carry out his plan. Todoroki opened his eyes and was in another world.This is the last thing Zuko needed today, and Todoroki doesn't know who his father pissed off for this to happen.
Relationships: Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Midoriya Izuku & Todoroki Shouto
Comments: 43
Kudos: 356





	1. Prologue

“Your Highness, the attacks on my village are beginning to increase in frequency.”

Zuko rubbed his face and sighed. This was the seventh report in as many as two weeks from the outermost towns and villages, and Zuko was beginning to run out of options to deal with it without messaging Aang to come and help.

“Have you tried to close off the forest path?” Zuko asked the man in front of him. This man had traveled for a full day from his home to speak to the Fire Lord, and Zuko wasn’t about to ignore his pleas for help. 

“Yes, My Lord, but the attacks persisted. It is to the point where our village members are afraid to leave their homes.”

Zuko thought for a moment, making his mind up to finally message Aang. Knowing his own people are afraid to leave their homes made Zuko feel uneasy, and he could not knowingly leave these people to fight alone. When he spoke again, he looked at his citizen in the eyes and told him that he and the Avatar would personally come to take a look at the situation.

“Before the Avatar and I arrive, please do your best to keep everyone indoors and away from the forest,” Zuko said.  The man looked shocked for a moment but immediately shook it off while tears began to form in his eyes.

“We will do that, thank you, Fire Lord Zuko! Thank you!” The man cried while giving the most perfect bow Zuko had ever seen.  After he had been thanked, Zuko directed a guard to guide the man into a room to stay in and rest before he would leave tomorrow morning to head back to his village.

Meanwhile, Zuko retired to his office to draft a letter to be sent to Aang asking him to meet with Zuko at once for help in dealing with a problem only the avatar could help with.

* * *

Todoroki woke up with a feeling in his chest, the one that usually tells him something bad is going to happen soon. It usually happens whenever he’s home, and this time was no different. Taking the covers of his futon off, he got up with a sigh, knowing that if he was late to morning training his father would not be pleased.  Todoroki quickly got dressed in his exercise wear and went straight to the dojo within his home.

“Ah, Shouto, you were cutting it a bit close there. Getting used to the late wake-up times in school, are we?” Endeavor sneered at his son.

‘ _ I’d hardly call seven in the morning late. _ ’ Todoroki thought

“Anyways, since I managed to get you home for the weekend, show me what you’ve been working on in school. Now that you finally decided to give up your childish rebellion-” Endeavor was cut off by a sheet of ice coming straight for his face.  Shouto knew it was a bad idea to cut his father off, but Endeavor was getting on his nerves and Shouto just wanted him to be  _ quiet _ . 

As Endeavor melted the ice attack, he looked absolutely pissed. Shouto groaned internally and braced himself as his father threw fireball after fireball at him. But yet, Shouto couldn’t bring himself to regret what he had done. 

‘ _ Mirdoiya really is rubbing off on me. _ ’ He thought while continuing to evade his father’s flames.

Preparing to attack, Todoroki came up with a plan in his head. He knew that if he managed to get his father down to the ground, their morning training would be shortened, and he would be free to call his friends sooner.  As he sent another sheet of ice to collide with an incoming fireblast, Todoroki rolled out of the way of the flames and sent his plan into action.

Freezing Endeavor’s feet before he could realize, Todoroki then sent a massive amount of ice to encase his father. Once Endeavor’s neck was frozen into place, Todoroki dove behind him and hid behind some equipment boxes. A few seconds later, the ice burst apart in a combination of pure strength and flames, and Endeavor turned around ready to fight again, only to see his son wasn’t there.

“Are you hiding Shouto? In a real fight against villains you can’t do that, you know.” Endeavor said.

Todoroki took a quiet breath and centered himself. Then, with all the speed he could muster, he ran out from behind the equipment boxes and launched as much fire as he could straight for his father’s face.  Endeavor, not expecting the fire to come at him, wasn’t prepared to stop it and wound up falling to the ground in a bit of shock. Knowing he now had the advantage, Todoroki finished his assault by encasing his father in a chunk of ice once again.

“Ah. Well done, Shouto. We’ll stop here for the morning, but we will continue this again this evening. You are dismissed.”

Leaving the dojo, Todoroki sighed. He really could not wait to go back to his dorm and Yuuei on Monday.

  
  


* * *

Having Aang back in the Fire Nation capital so soon was not what Zuko wanted. Aang was already kind enough to help Zuko’s efforts to reach out to the other nations and mend the severed bonds that his forefathers had broken.

“Zuko! We’ve missed you the past month!” Aang called when he first saw Zuko again. “The others really wish they could come, but you said it was business with only me, so what do you need help with?”

“Recently, there has been an increase in attacks against my people in the outer cities, especially those closer to the forests. I have come to believe it is the work of a spirit, hence why I asked you to come here.” Zuko explained.

Aang looked surprised, “Wow, no wonder you messaged me. If it is a spirit, it might hold contempt against the Fire Nation for any kind of destruction against its forest, or for the damage to the world in the past 100 years.”

Zuko sighed and said “I was afraid you’d say that. It will take maybe two hours of travel on Appa to reach the village that had the most recent attack, and we can leave immediately if that’s okay with you. I know you’re busy with your current peace negotiations for me already-”

“Zuko, I’m already here! Don’t worry so much, it’s okay to ask for help when you need it. Me and everyone else are here to help you make peace with the world, both physical and spiritual it seems.” Aang said, pulling Zuko into a hug.  Zuko relaxed against the small token of comfort from his friend and hugged him back. He became accustomed to it during his time as Aang's firebending teacher, knowing he couldn’t escape the affection of the group and just embracing it.

“Thank you,” Zuko said once Aang backed away.

They quickly packed some supplies for the trip and Zuko changed out of his traditional Fire Lord robes and put on the clothes he wore while teaching Aang. Then he and Aang went to Appa. Zuko climbed into Appa’s saddle, while Aang grabbed the reins and yelled “Yipp Yipp!” 

And then they were off, flying through the skies once again, even if it was just the two of them. 

\----------------------

Once they arrived at the village a few hours later, Zuko met with the man that came to see him, as it had been two days since he left the capital and returned home. Zuko learned that in the time waiting for his and the avatar’s arrival, the village managed to keep the attacks on the low with everyone staying inside as much as possible. It still hurt Zuko knowing his people were afraid, but hopefully, he and Aang could put a stop to it today.

They departed for the path in the forest the villagers took to get to the nearby river, where the last couple of attacks took place. The feeling they both got as they walked into the forest was not a good one. Aang and Zuko shared a look but kept going. Zuko paid attention especially for the signs the villagers told him would alert him to the spirit coming.  As they walked deeper into the forest, they could hear the sound of the river just through the next set of trees.  Zuko shuddered as he felt the feeling of being watched. He looked around, but he didn’t see anything. Turning to Aang, he asked if he felt it too, to which Aang said he didn’t.

* * *

After his long weekend with his father passed, Todoroki was back at school on Monday morning, thankful to see his friends again. 

‘ _ Texting is not the same. _ ’ He thought as he saw a familiar head of green curls run towards him.

“Todoroki-kunnn!” Midoriya cried, hugging his friend tightly. “We missed you this weekend, I can’t believe your dad actually convinced Aizawa-sensei to let you go home.”

As if waiting for someone to mention Endeavor, Todorokis back and upper arm throbbed with pain where he was hit by a fireball and grabbed harsh enough to leave a bruise.

“Ah, I was surprised as well when Sensei told me my father was picking me up,” Todoroki said as Midoriya let him out of his embrace. 

“Still, let me tell you about what happened this weekend!” Midoriya said as he walked side by side with Todoroki to their classroom. They continued to chat until they had to take their seats right before class started. Before the bell rang though, Aizawa came up to Todorokis desk and told him to stay behind once they were dismissed for lunch. Not wanting his confusion to show on his face and worry his friends, Todoroki just nodded in understanding as Aizawa turned around to begin class for the day.

Midoriya looked over at him with a questioning look, but Todoroki just shook his head and mouthed ‘ _ Don’t worry about it _ .’. Midoriya just cocked his eyebrow as if he were saying  _ ‘Are you sure about that.’ _ But Todoroki just shook his head again, and Midoriya squinted his eyes for a second but then turned to face back to the front of the class. Todoroki was thankful to have someone who cares as much as Midoroya does about him. 

‘ _ At least someone else besides Fuyumi does.’ _ He thought, with a little chuckle.

\--------------------------------

When lunch comes around, Midoriya is standing up, stretching, ready to go to the lunchroom with Uraraka and Iida already at his desk. Midoriya turned to Todoroki’s desk and asked why he wasn’t standing up, ready to go as well.

“Aizawa-sensei asked me to stay behind for a few minutes. I’ll meet you guys there.” Todoroki said.

“Are you sure, I can wait with you if you want, I’m sure sensei won’t mind if you want me here,” Midoriya said, with concern in his eyes. Typically, being asked to stay behind was never something to look forward to, especially if you don’t know what the situation is.

Todoroki hummed and thought about it for a moment. He knew that if it was bad news, it was better to have Midooriya here with him so he wouldn’t have to explain the situation later at lunch. He looked up at Midoriya and said, “If you wouldn’t mind?”.

Midoriya, being the ever positive student of class 1-A, practically beamed at being asked to stay by Todoroki and hastily said “Yes!”.

Uraraka and Iida simply told Midoriya and Todoroki they would catch up with them later and joined the last stragglers as they left the classroom in search of food.

Now that the classroom was empty, save for Midoriya, Todoroki, and Aizawa, other teachers began to walk in. including Nezu as well. Midoriya shared a look with Todoroki, both of them looking confused and slightly unnerved by an almost complete staff of Pro Heroes standing in front of them.

“I presume you asked Midoriya to stay?” Aizawa said blankly.

“Yes, I did,” Todoroki said in response.

Aizawa merely hummed, as he turned to Present Mic and whispered something. Turning back to the two students, Aizawa began speaking.

“Todoroki, as of this morning, there have been several threats made against the Pro Hero Endeavor, ranging from attacking him and his agency, to more personal ones that suggest even harming you. As a precaution, when you move around campus today especially, at least two other teachers will be with us in addition to me. We don’t know what quirk or quirks we could be dealing with here either. Do you have any questions?” 

Todoroki was frozen in place. The whole time his teacher was speaking, his heart began to race more and more. He knew it was irrational. He was at UA High School, and his father is Endeavor, the number one hero. Not to mention the number of pros already on campus, and his own strong quirk he can defend himself with. There was no reason to be scared. 

Except he was.

“Do you think they would actually come after Todoroki?” Midoriya asked, seeming to read his mind. 

‘ _ Why come after me? My father cares more about his agency and reputation than he does me. Hurting that would hurt him more.”  _ Todoroki thought bitterly.

“We have no way of knowing if this is one villain working alone, or a group that has a vendetta against Endeavor. Whatever it is, they don’t like the number one hero, and they’re looking for any way that’s easiest to strike against him.” Nedzu answered. He turned to Todoroki, and continued “In any case, we’ll be watching over you this week to make sure you stay safe on campus.”

After that, they didn’t have any more questions and left the classroom, heading to go and eat with their friends, even though both boys knew anything they’d eat would most likely not stay down.

* * *

  
  


“Zuko? Zuko!” Aang yelled as his friend suddenly clutched his head and groaned, his eyes squeezing shut.

They had been walking for 20 minutes when Zuko asked him if he could feel the distinct feeling of eyes on him as well. Aang couldn’t, which was strange. Even if the spirit was attacking Fire Nation citizens, shouldn’t he be able to at least sense the spirit? Zuko said it was fine, however, and ignored it for the next 10 minutes.

‘ _ If Aang can’t sense anything, it’s probably not the spirit then. Probably just some wild armadillo bear’ _ , Zuko thought.

That was until his head was filled with a piercing shriek, like the villagers explained would happen to them.  Aang looked at his friend worriedly and saw the spirit just behind Zuko. It was at that point he could feel it, once it was closer. 

“What do you want with the people of the Fire Nation?” Zuko managed to demand, hands falling away from his still loud head. “Why are you attacking my people?” He continued.

“‘Your people’?” the spirit asked, “Tell me, are you the Fire Lord?” It asked.

Zuko looked at Aang and to the spirit, “I am. My name is Fire Lord Zuko, and I will repeat my question: Why are you attacking my people?” Zuko demanded.

Aang took the chance to tell the spirit he was the avatar, and would not allow disbalance like this to continue between the two worlds.

The spirit looked at Zuko and then to Aang and said, “The disbalance will cease. I was hoping I’d get the chance to have the Fire Lord come here. It’s what I have wanted all along.” and with that, the spirit launched toward Zuko and entrapped him in a ball of bright light. The last thing Zuko heard before he opened his eyes was Aang yelling his name.

When Zuko opened his eyes, he realized three things. One- He wasn’t in the forest anymore, Two- Aang wasn’t there, and Three- he was surrounded by a bunch of people falling into a fighting stance.

‘ _ Agni, What did I do wrong today?’  _ Zuko thought, as he slipped into his own fighting stance.

* * *

Midoriya and Todoroki managed to evade all their friend’s questions during lunch and the outdoor training session. It was on the way back to the locker rooms to change back into their school uniform that everything changed.

Todoroki was walking with Midoriya in the back of the group when Midnight and Present Mic stepped away for the next heroes to take place watching over the teenager. The presence of the two extra Pro Heroes was only missing for three minutes, but it was in those three minutes the villain suddenly appeared out of thin air.

“Todoroki Shouto, I’m so glad I caught you at this time!” exclaimed an unfamiliar voice right behind him. 

Todoroki turned around with wide eyes and was met with a stranger's face.

He heard his classmates and teacher yelling, but he couldn’t see anything anymore besides a bright, burning light surrounding him, and a piercing shriek in his head. When he finally opened his eyes, he was face to face with a bald kid with a blue arrow on his forehead asking if he was okay.

  
‘ _ Why did this have to happen to me?’ _ Todoroki thought as he felt his legs giving out from under him, and fell to the ground in shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi long time archive member finally deciding to try and write. I’m inspired completely by the tag on the tumblr captainkirkk! Hope y’all like it, I’m gonna try to update every Monday and just have fun with it while trying to make a cohesive underlying story haha :)


	2. Zuko

‘ _Agni, what did I do wrong today?’_

As Zuko fell into his fighting stance, he took a moment to look at his surroundings. Seeing no trees or the river or Aang, Zuko realized the spirit must have transported him to some foreign place. Zuko also realized that surrounding him were children, even though they were likely his age, with shocked and angry looks on their faces, like he had done something to affront them. Wasting no time in trying to fight against these people, likely over a misunderstanding, Zuko dropped his arms and began to speak,

“Can someone tell me whe-” But he was cut off by fabric strips shooting towards him from a man with piercing red eyes staring at him and hair that seemed to float upwards. This strange man began to approach Zuko, but Zuko was not going to be hurt for something he did not do, or whatever reason this man was angry with him. Zuko’s arms were pinned to his sides by the fabric, so he couldn’t launch into any firebending positions right away. Taking a deep breath as the man got closer, Zuko exhaled and channeled his breath of fire and blew the fabric away.

Now having free arms, Zuko fell back into his defensive stance, not wanting to be the first to attack, in case any of the kids got caught in the crossfire.

The man who was staring at him looked taken aback like Zuko did something impossible.

‘ _Do they not know what bending is?’_ Zuko thought, looking around at the many shocked faces surrounding him.

“Who are you?” The staring man asked, eyes turning into a glare, but his hair no longer defying gravity. Zuko noticed that more people dressed in strange fabrics and layers were standing side by side the man, also looking at Zuko with distrust and anger.

“I should ask you the same question, as well as where I am.” Zuko said, “I don’t see why I have to tell you who I am seeing as you attempted to kidnap me with that fabric.” he finished.

The people in front of him stared at him with wide eyes, like they couldn’t believe what he said. The glaring man walked closer to Zuko, Zuko falling back into a defensive stance, ready to protect himself if need be. Seeing this, the man stopped coming closer and began to speak again.

“The reason you need to tell me _who_ you _are_ is that my student is missing because of a _villain_ , who’s also gone now, and _you_ suddenly showed up where my student was.” The man seethed, looking like he was going to attack again. Zuko was quiet for a moment, his turn to be the one confused by what was said to him, and thought about the situation. Once again dropping from his defensive stance, Zuko rubbed his face and sighed, and turned to address the people around him, standing taller and looking older than before and spoke.

“ My name is Fire Lord Zuko of the Fire Nation. I was displaced by a vengeful spirit against my nation, and something tells me that I’m not exactly from here.” 

Pausing for a moment, and seeming to think about what Zuko said, the man looked like he believed Zuko. “My name is Aizawa Shota. Please come with my colleagues and me to somewhere more private so we can speak.” As he said this, a short child with green hair ran over to Aizawa and muttered something unintelligible to Zuko. Aizawa nodded his head towards the kid and then turned to speak to the other children.

“Everyone else is to return to their dorms for the rest of the day,” Aizawa announced, and the dozens of kids around them started to leave slowly, still looking apprehensively at Zuko. A moment later, and turned back to Zuko, making a summoning motion with his hand.

“We don’t need to restrain you, do we?” He asked and Zuko shook his head almost in disbelief.

“I would never do something dangerous around children that could get hurt.” Zuko said, then thinking to himself, ‘ _He might not know me, but do I really look like I’d hurt kids?’_ He started to walk forward, Aizawa ending up behind him with the green-haired kid, while a man with blond hair that looked to be shooting out of the back of his head, and a woman in a skintight fabric walked in front, guiding him to wherever they were going. The other adults followed Aizawa, going with them to hear what Zuko had to say. Not wanting to give them more of a reason to want to attack him, Zuko just went with it, willing to trust they would not attack. As they walked, Aizawa called up the man leading him. “Mic, give Tsukauchi a call and have All Might take him to the room.” The man, Mic, nodded and pulled a metal object from a pocket and spoke into it. ‘ _Weird’_ Zuko thought.

They ended up in a large room that had many desks, most with papers and books, and strange black boxes sitting on top of them. Zuko was told to wait for a moment while they rearranged some desks, and put a chair facing them for Zuko to sit in. Once he took his seat, he felt uncomfortable with the glares and squinted eyes of the adults before him, the green-haired kid being the only person his age in the room. 

They stayed in those positions for another very long and silent break, everyone just staring at him, before two more men walked into the room. The one, in a white top, sat in the empty desk chair across from Zuko. He laid out some papers and a small metal contraption across the desk, before looking up at Zuko and giving a small smile. The other man, ‘ _probably that All Might guy’_ Zuko thought, went and stood with the other teachers in the back

“Hello, my name is Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa. I’m going to be asking you questions, to try and figure out what’s happened tonight.” Zuko just nodded, and the man, Tsukauchi, continued “Good. So, to start this out, I’ve been informed that you have no idea where you are, or what has happened to you, just that you thought Aizawa was kidnapping you, correct?” He asked, Zuko nodding in agreement. Tsukauchi hummed and wrote something down on a paper.

“Alright. So more broad here, Do you know what a ‘quirk’ is?” Tsukauchi asked and Zuko furrowed his brows. 

“A what?” 

Tsukauchi wrote something again, while the other people in the room started to mutter to each other.

“Now, I was told you destroyed Aizawa’s capture weapon with fire that came from your mouth. How did you do that, if not with a quirk?” Tsukauchi questioned, the other people silencing themselves, wanting to hear his response.

Zuko just looked bewildered and said “Because I’m a Firebender,” like it was the most obvious thing in the world. The people around him not agreeing as much. Tsukauchi just nodded, like he expected an answer like this, and continued his questions. 

“So, what is a ‘Firebender’, and can you tell me about the ‘vengeful spirit’ you mentioned to Aizawa earlier as well?”

Zuko just sighed and got into his explanation of bending. “As I said, I am a Firebender. This means I can create and control fire. Other types of bending are Earthbending, Waterbending, and Airbending. They are as they sound. Only the Avatar can master all four elements. As for the spirit, I was with the current Avatar, investigating attacks against my people. The spirit was waiting for me and then attacked me. Now I’m here.” Zuko finished. Tsukauchi wrote this down and then opened his mouth to ask another question, but Zuko cut him off. “Now, I’ve been very trusting of you people, answering questions left and right, but I will not answer any more if I am not told where I am, and what a ‘quirk’ is,” Zuko demanded.

The people looked at him with angry eyes, like he shouldn’t dare question them, but Zuko refused to back down. ‘ _I’m the Fire Lord, dammit, and I’ve dealt with worse than you’_ He thought.

Tsukauchi, to Zuko’s surprise, actually agreed with him and turned to Aizawa. Knowing that was his cue to speak, Aizawa went into a lengthy explanation of the world Zuko was in. Zuko learned that bending was not a thing, and almost everybody was born with some kind of power, those with more power than others, being “Heroes”. He also figured out from this, that their entire society was based around the idea that power determines worth, something that made Zuko angry and sick to his stomach at the same time. He also learned that Tsukauchi had a quirk that allowed him to tell if Zuko was telling the truth, hence why he was questioning Zuko.

Now that Zuko had an understanding of their world, and he knew he was definitely not where he belonged, he was asked to explain more about where he was from, and what he meant by the title of “Fire Lord”. Zuko realized he was more likely than not, going to have to tell his entire life story, and prepared himself mentally to explain everything about himself.

“Whenever you’re ready, Zuko. I will interrupt in different parts to clarify if I feel it’s needed” Tsukauchi said, noticing Zuko looking slightly uncomfortable having to speak about himself.

“Alright. This is going to probably be a lot, so you all might want to sit,” Zuko said, and the remaining people that were standing took a seat. Sighing once more, something he was doing a lot these days, Zuko began to speak.

“I’ll start with what my world is like,” Zuko said, “As I said earlier, I am from the Fire Nation, one of what used to be Four Nations that lived in peace and harmony. The North and South Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, and the Air Temples. However, peace had been lost for the past 100 years, as my nation, under my great grandfather, Sozin declared war on the world. He wanted to spread the ‘progress’ and ‘growth’ of the Fire Nation to the rest of the world.” Zuko paused and swallowed his anger, as the people around him seemed to start realizing where this was going.

“As I mentioned earlier, there is only one person, the Avatar, that can master the four different elements. The thing about the Avatar is that they are reborn upon the death of an Avatar into the next nation in the cycle. Knowing the next Avatar would be born into the Air Nomads, Sozin destroyed their temples under propaganda and lies, thinking he destroyed the only person strong enough to stop the Fire Nations war. He committed genocide of an entire nation of peaceful people. Unfortunately for Sozin, the Avatar escaped but was lost and concealed in ice for 100 years. The war raged on, the world becoming fearful and hateful toward Fire.” Zuko paused again before continuing, knowing he was going to have to talk about himself soon.

“The Fire Nation continued the war, believing Sozin was right to start it. My Grandfather, Azulon, passed the war onto my _father_ Ozai, who ended up being bested by the Avatar.” Zuko said, spitting out the word ‘father’ when he said it. That didn’t go unnoticed by the adults in the room. Tsukauchi looked at Zuko and asked the question everyone was wondering, “You said that you are now the ‘Fire Lord’ correct? What role did you play in this war?” Zuko had known it was coming, but that didn’t mean he was ready to answer it.

“Ah. I was afraid you would ask that” He said with a small chuckle before continuing, “Much like my nation, I was not always good. I did things I am not proud of, in an attempt to try and please a man who never did, and never would see me as a human being, let alone his own _son._ ” The adults in the room gasped, but Zuko continued, “Honor is a very big deal in my nation. That being said, I was banished from my homeland when I was 13 for speaking out of place in a war meeting, effectively losing my honor.” Zuko stopped talking for a moment and took a deep breath before continuing again.

“All I wanted to do was return home with my “lost” honor in _his_ eyes, come home as the crown prince. But, the only way for it to happen was with the Avatar that hadn’t been seen in 100 years, as my prisoner. I searched fruitlessly for three years for him, and once he appeared, I followed and tracked him and his friends down, just wanting to go home. I’m not proud of it. By the time I finally realized what Ozai did to me was cruel and _wrong_ , I ended up teaching the Avatar the final element he needed to know- Fire.” Zuko took another deep breath. 

“What happened after he learned Fire,” Tsukauchi asked, looking at Zuko with soft eyes now. Zuko looked away as the painful memories of that day flooded back into his mind.

“After he, Aang is his name, learned fire, Aang defeated Ozai. He stripped him of his bending, and Ozai has been in prison since. I took over as Fire Lord and have been heading all peace negotiations for the past two months. It’s been chaos, which is why I assumed you kidnapped me. People do not forgive easily, after all,” Zuko finished.

Everyone around him, even Aizawa, who seemed basically emotionless, looked off-put by what he said. The man who walked in front of him earlier, ‘Mic’ Zuko remembered, looked at him and asked how old he was. 

“I’m 16.” Zuko said. Not expecting the reaction around him to be as intense as it was, Zuko was startled by the looks of angry eyes again.

“16? What the hell! You’re as old as my _students-”_

“He fought in a _war-_ ”

“I’m gonna kill his bastard of a father-”

Zuko was stunned. They weren’t mad at him, they were mad _for_ him, which isn’t something that happens frequently. After they had all settled down, Tsukauchi asked another more question, one that Zuko really wished he hadn’t.

“Zuko, I realize what you have said tonight, but I need to know. You mentioned the cruel things your family, your own _father_ have done. We don’t have anything to worry about with you being here, do we?” Tsukauchi asked 

Everyone froze. They had all thought the same question, but the kid sounded like one of the good guys, and they believe they can trust him. Besides, Zuko looked extremely _pissed_ at the insinuation he was like his father. They had heard what the guy did to him, and they didn’t blame Zuko for being upset, however, a hero or police officer can never be too thorough.

“Ah. I mentioned earlier, I spoke out of turn at a war meeting and was banished-” The silence in the room was astounding, “I was challenged to what we call an Agni Kai. Basically just a fight to the death or your opponent is too injured to retaliate any longer. I was supposed to fight against the general I disrespected but when I turned around it was my father.” Zuko noticed he was starting to breathe faster, he really did not like to remember this day, but he felt the need to let these people know, so they would never think he’d be like Ozai. “I refused to fight, I threw myself to the ground and pleaded him to stop the fight. I apologized. I was scared. He said to me ‘ _You will learn respect. And suffering will be your teacher.’_ After that, he blew half my face off, and I was banished.” Zuko finished the story but wasn’t done speaking.

“I did not fight then, and it’s important to me you understand I have no emotional attachments to that man. I would never hurt innocent people, but, if you _ever_ insinuate I’d be like him, you will reget me ever existing here.”

Aizawa was the first person to speak after that, everyone else looking like they were slightly afraid of Zuko, and like they wanted to murder Ozai. ‘ _Get in line._ ’ Zuko thought to both things.

“Zuko,” Aizawa said, “Let’s get you somewhere to rest for the night, and we’ll figure out where to go from here tomorrow.”

Before Zuko could respond with his gratitude, the green-haired child spoke up very quickly. “Before you go, Sir, is Todoroki going to be okay? Is he safe?” He asked.

“Assuming he and I traded spots, he ended up right next to the Avatar. I know he’ll be safe, Aang is the best person to around.” Zuko said, with a small smile. This seemed to appease the boy, and the other adults let out a breath they didn’t even realize they were holding.

Zuko followed Aizawa to a large, square building, and was led to a big room with a couch he could sleep on. Glad to finally be laying down after so much had happened, Zuko fell asleep instantly. But when he opened his eyes hours later, he realized he as not still in that room, instead, he was in his own bed in the palace. Instead of being alarmed, Zuko decided to just close his eyes and go back to sleep.

As he drifted off, only one thought was left in his mind. 

  
‘ _Agni, that was a weird dream.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so my idea is that Aizawa's quirk didn't work bc zuko technically doesn't have a quirk, but Tsukauchi's does bc his would work on even quirkless ppl, ya know? Also, this is so like dialogue heavy BUT I gotta get the world explanations out of the way. Anywho, next chapter will be todorokis pov. Hmmmm I wonder why Zuko woke up at home hmmmmmm  
> as always my Tumblr is @fatkittycats come scream w me


	3. Todoroki

‘ _ Why did this have to happen to me?’ _

Shouto Todoroki prides himself on his ability to withstand things that most people couldn’t, after all, not many people could go through a training session with Endeavor and come out able to even walk. Hell, he’s survived numerous villain attacks while at  _ school. _ But everybody has their limits, even Todoroki.

Looking around him, Todoroki noticed three main things from his spot on the ground.

One- He was in a forest now

Two- The villain that attacked him was gone

Three- There was a short, bald kid crouching down in front of his face

Before Todoroki could shoot back to his feet and distance himself from this mysterious person, the kid cut him off by sticking his hand out and introducing himself.

“Hello, My name is Aang and I’m the Avatar! What’s your name?”

Todoroki simply blinked in response, not knowing whether or not he should trust this person, Aang. Aang seemed to sense this and retracted his hand. He gave a small chuckle and scratched the back of his before saying, “Yeah, I don’t know how much I’d trust a random guy in the forest either.” 

Todoroki stayed silent for another moment before taking a deep breath and letting it go in a sigh. He didn’t know where he was and his only hope at answers seemed to be the kid in front of him. Looking up at Aang for a minute, Todoroki decided to trust him for now, seeing as to how he hadn’t been attacked yet. Aang didn’t seem to have an obvious quirk, but it doesn’t mean he is quirkless. Staying on his guard Todoroki stood up, and introduced himself, getting right to the point.

“My name is Todoroki Shouto, can you tell me where I am?”

Aang looked confused, before speaking slowly, “We’re in the Fire Nation right now, close to the outskirts. Where did you come from?”

“I- Fire Nation? What is that? I’m from Japan.” Todoroki said, “I was in class and a villain ambushed me, and the next thing I know, I open my eyes to this place.”

Aang furrowed his brows and truly looked at the person in front of him. He saw the weird clothes he had on, the strange hair coloring, and the  _ scar. _ Knowing how Zuko got his, Aang was not about to ask this kid how he has the same scar as his friend who just vanished, chalking it up to some kind of weird coincidence. Aang continued to look at Todoroki for another minute before beginning to speak again.

“Well. I don’t know how you got here, but my friend Zuko, the Fire Lord, was standing right where you are before a spirit-  _ Oh spirits how did I forget about that spirit” _ Aang started to say, before cutting himself off and quickly launching himself up with air in his haste to look around, desperately wishing the spirit was still around so he could question it about what he did. When he realized it was gone, he fell back to the ground in a huff, but to Todoroki’s shocked face.

“You have an air manipulation quirk I assume?” Todoroki asked, still looking at Aang with some shock, “I assumed if you had a quirk and you used it, your markings would react somehow, but I see I was wrong.” 

“Huh? A quirk? What’s that?” Aang asked, before continuing, “I mentioned it earlier, but I am the Avatar. I was going to ask you earlier what you could bend, if at all, but I got distracted, but I’m starting to think something might be happening here.” Aang said, “I get the feeling whatever happened to you might not be so different as to what happened to my friend.”

Todoroki looked at Aang with a blank expression, before he seemed to truly lock into the words Aang said. 

“I think I know what you mean. Do you not know what a quirk is at all? What heroes and villains are, or where Japan is?” Todoroki asked, to which Aang just shook his head. Todoroki blinked and stumbled back to the ground. “I think I must be dreaming then because I am not sure what else this could be,” he said, with a dazed look. Aang came up to Todoroki and sat directly in front of him, before grabbing one of his shoulders in a comforting gesture.

“It’s okay, Todoroki. Unfortunately, I don’t believe you’re dreaming. You’re really here, but I promise you right now that we’re gonna figure out what happened together, alright?” Aang said, trying to comfort Todoroki. Todoroki just nodded his head quietly. Aang, still trying to make sure this kid would be okay continued to speak, “Why don’t I tell you a bit more about where you are back at my sky bison Appa. Then, we can head back to the Fire National capitol where we’ll be better equipped to deal with this.” Aang said while guiding Todoroki up and starting to walk, making sure Todoroki was right with him.

By the time they made it back to Appa, the sun was starting to get lower in the sky, and all Aang wanted to do was get Todoroki some good food and equally good sleep. He looked like he needed it. 

Todoroki had been thoroughly surprised by Appa when the pair walked up to him after Aang had stopped and talked to some people in a village.

They seemed really confused by the sight of Todoroki, but the most confusing part was when a small child ran up to him and hugged his leg exclaiming “I don’t know what that mean spirit did to you, Fire Lord Zuko, but thank you for helping!”. Todoroki froze, and everyone seemed to turn and look at him. He turned to Aang who looked at him with equally wide eyes, before a woman, probably the child's mother, came up and bowed in front of Todoroki apologizing for her son. “I’m so sorry, your majesty, he got away from me and I-” But Todoroki cut her off, “It’s.. alright. I’m glad to have..helped”. The child looked back up at him with eyes brimming with joy and what looked like the beginnings of tears.

Todoroki gave a smile, unsure smile to the rest of the people, before turning to Aang and starting to walk with him on a path leading out of the small village.

“Wow, I didn’t know they’d think you were Zuko. I guess that is slightly lucky for you because I don’t know how I could explain to them a missing Fire Lord they actually  _ like. _ ” Aang said once they were a bit farther away from the Village, following a grassy path. “We might be able to use that idea to help you not be, well, killed by Zuko’s guards.”

“That...would be nice.” was all Todoroki could come up with in response, he and Aang falling into a comfortable silence as they walked the rest of the way up the path. 

They walked another five minutes before Todoroki froze. There was a creature of some sort, huge and white, with arrows like Aang on it.

“APPA!” Aang yelled, laughing, and running to the.. _ thing. _

“A-Aang, what is that?” Todoroki stumbled as he nervously walked a bit closer.

“Oh, this is just Appa, my sky bison I mentioned earlier. He flies!” Aang said like it was the most normal thing in the world. “I’ll help you up, and then we can talk once we’re on our way back to the capitol.” 

Aang, true to his word, helped Todoroki up onto Appa by just sending a gust of air underneath him, sending him floating up to the saddle area on Appa’s back. ‘ _ It’s just like Uraraka.’  _ Todoroki thought, and a pang of guilt hit him as he realized how much he missed his classmates and hoped he could get home at all.

Once he was settled, Aang yelled something strange, and then Appa took off to the skies. Honestly, Todoroki was startled. Nothing was normal here, and he knows he shouldn’t expect it to be, but it doesn’t change just how  _ weird _ it was. However, Todoroki shook it off, after all, he promised Aang an explanation, just as Aang had promised him.

“So, do you want to start, or do you want me to?” He said to Aang once he had climbed back to sit with Todoroki. 

“I’ll go first so you can know where you are at least.” Aang said, and Todoroki nodded, “Thank you.”

“Okay, so basically, there are four nations. Water, Earth, Fire, Air. Of those nations, people can generally bend those elements, but there can be nonbenders too. About one hundred years ago, the Fire Nation launched a war on the whole world in an attempt to build an empire. A lot of bad things happened, there’s no longer any air benders but me, not to mention many more people have died or been hurt. But, the war ended not too long ago, and Zuko, who’s now missing, is the new Fire Lord and is trying to help rebuild the Fire Nation in a post-war setting. That's why his being missing is a bit of a big deal. My friends and I have been trying to help him rebuild bridges and relationships, but there's a fair amount he has to do on his own, you know.” Aang said.

“That’s a lot,” Todoroki said. “Yeah, I’m not super good at explaining things, so I hope that made sense,” Aang replied.

“So, if you are a bender then, what element do you bend?” Todoroki asked. Aang chuckled sheepishly. “Well, remember how I said I was the ‘Avatar’?” He asked, and Todoroki nodded, “Well basically, I am the only person that can bend all four elements.”

“Huh, that’s just like an elemental quirk then,” Todoroki said.

“A quirk?” 

“Oh, It’s my turn then.” Todoroki took a deep breath, “So, I'm from the country of Japan. In my world, we have a society based around what we call ‘quirks’, which are powers passed down from parents or that can mutate to be random. I go to UA high school, and I’m currently in training to become a pro hero. Pro heroes are licensed to use their quirks to fight villains and protect citizens. I got sent here because of a villain that was going after my father decided to use me to hurt him. He shot me with some kind of light, and then I woke up here.” 

“So you don’t bend? Do you have a ‘quirk’?” Aang asked

“I do, it’s called ‘Half-Cold, Half-Hot. Do you want me to show you?” He asked, and Aang nodded yes excitedly, and Todoroki let his left side catch fire, while his right side coated in ice. Aang's smile dropped off his face, and he froze eyes wide looking at Todoroki. “So, you’re gonna want to keep one of those a secret, and I’d say you should keep the fire so you can pretend you’re Zuko, or whatever we’re gonna come up with,” Aang said nervously.

Todoroki nodded slowly. He’d been making steps by working with Midoroiya to overcome his reluctance to use his fire, but to  _ only _ be able to use it? That was going to be tough. Still, he understood he wasn’t in Japan anymore, and using his ice here could get Zuko into trouble.

They flew on, time passing quickly, as Todoroki watched the ground passing beneath them. Aang had climbed back to the front of Appa to take the reins again, leaving Todoroki alone to think. He thought about how his friends and teachers might have reacted to Zuko showing up in his absence, and he shudders to think of anyone being foolish enough to alert Endeavor about his son, no matter how much they should. 

When they got to their intended destination, Todoroki realized they were flying straight into a volcano, where an entire city sat, with a grand palace in the center. He watched in awe as they got closer and the intricate details of the buildings became more clear. It was obvious by the amount of gold coloring they were indeed in a place built for royalty.

Appa set down in a grassy patch, close to a small pond, filled with what looked like ducks with a turtle shell. ‘ _ I guess it could have been weirder than duckturtles’ _ Todoroki thought as he hopped down from Appa’s back to meet with Aang. As soon as his feet touched the ground, several people came from a doorway and approached the two boys, and Todoroki had to bite back his instinct to fall into a battle stance.

The people arrived and seemed to finally realize that the person with Aang was in fact  _ not  _ Fire Lord Zuko, and quickly assumed a fighting stance, with their hands pointed out at Todoroki. He realized a bit belatedly they were probably fire benders. Aang, however, reacted fastly and jumped in front of Todoroki before they could get the chance to bend at him.

“Wait! I know what it looks like, but this, uh, is Zuko, just not the one we all know.” Aang said, trying to come up with an explanation on the fly. “When we went to investigate the spirit, it switched these two versions. We, uh, need him so that we can figure out how to get our Zuko back.” He finished, seeming a bit unsure of himself.

The people around them, ‘ _ guards’ _ Todoroki thought, relaxed a tiny bit but not dropping their hands, and one stepped forward. “Are you sure, Avatar Aang?” He asked, looking at Todoroki with a squint. 

“I’m positive.” 

With that, the guards dropped their arms and bowed to the two boys with a call of “Your Majesty, our apologies.” When they stood back up, the same guard as before spoke again. “Your majesty, we will allow you the opportunity to adjust to this new place today, and put off all meetings until further notice. My name is Captain Rai, and I am the head of your guard.” Rai bowed again, and his people followed. When they hadn’t stood back up yet, Aang motioned to him to put his hands together and bow back. When he did, they took their leave, and Aang led Todoroki to a room that could only be assumed to be Zuko's bedroom.

“So, I’m glad they bought that excuse. Unfortunately, It does mean you’ll have to learn how to act like royalty while you’re here and maybe even take up some of Zuko’s responsibilities. Before anything else, let’s get you changed into some traditional clothes of the Fire Nation so you can at least look the part.” Aang said as he walked over to what looked like a closet. He began to pull out several pieces of clothing in various shades of red with gold trim.

“You guys seem to be about the same height and size, so that's good,” Aang said as he set the stuff down on the bed by Todoroki. “I’ll show you how to put this on, and then I’m betting you might be hungry, huh?” Aang laughed. As if being cued, Todoroki’s stomach growled, letting him know it’s displeasure at being ignored. 

Aang helped Todoroki get the layers upon layers of fabric on and sitting right when he asked if Todoroki’s hair was long enough for the top knot he needed to wear. Thankfully, it was, and Aang got the final piece in, pulling all of Todoroki’s hair back. He’d never had his scar so exposed, and he felt a bit self-conscious. 

“Aang, I don’t- I don’t want people to stare at my face,” Todoroki said, looking down and away from Aang, trying to hide the left side of his face. Aang let out a chuckle and Todoroki blanched, but before he could get upset with Aang, Aang quickly explained his reaction.

“No, No. I didn’t mean any disrespect to you. It’s just that Zuko, well, he has the same scar,” Aang said, “minus the eyebrow though” 

Todoroki looked confused and looked up at Aang, his hands that were trying to undo his hair falling to his sides. “He- He does? How?” He asked, “although you don’t have to tell me, it’s most definitely personal and I-” Todoroki quickly backpedaled, remembering his own story, and just how painful it was. Aang seemed to understand why he asked though and decided he should tell Todoroki, lest anyone mention it and Todoroki has no idea what they’re talking about.

“You should probably know, just in case someone brings it up” He sighed, sitting on the bed, Todoroki copying him. “I told you earlier that we had a war for the past one hundred years,” Todoroki nodded, “It was continued by the past Fire Lords, one of whom was Zuko’s father, Ozai. That man was ready to burn the whole world and was extremely obsessed with his power, and by proxy, the power of his own children.” Todoroki felt nauseous as Ozai was starting to sound more like  _ Enji  _ in his mind.

“Here in the Fire Nation, they are firm believers in the term ‘honor’, and if you disrespect anyone, it isn’t good. At all,” Aang said, taking in a breath and letting it go. He brought his arms up around himself, seeming like he was trying to find comfort in it. “When Zuko was just thirteen, he was allowed to attend a war meeting. He wasn’t supposed to talk, but when he heard that the generals and Ozai were just going to sacrifice an entire unit of men, Zuko called them out, and was challenged to an Agni Kai, a fight to the death or point of not being able to fight.”

Aang took another deep breath before continuing, “Zuko expected to fight against the general he disrespected, but when he turned around he saw the face of his own father. Zuko refused to fight, threw himself to his father's feet, and  _ begged _ for mercy. Ozai didn’t care, and he set that poor boy's face ablaze and banished him till he could regain his honor by finding me.” 

Todoroki breathed sharply, the memories of his own parent being the person to scar him flashing in his mind. He loved his mom, and he forgave her because it wasn’t his fault. But this man did it intentionally against his own son. 

“I didn’t realize just how similar I really would be to Zuko,” Todoroki said, breaking the silence between the two boys. Aang nodded silently, wiping at his eyes. “Sorry, every time I think about it, I just get so upset.” He said, “Why don’t I go get us dinner, and you stay here,” Aang said, seeming to feel Todoroki’s discomfort. He nodded, not feeling up to really walking anymore anyways. “Thank you.”, and Aang left the room.

Todoroki sat back on the bed as the events of the day replayed over him. He missed his friends and his home, and he just wanted to sleep in his own bed. Simply put, he was completely exhausted. 

By the time Aang returned and they had eaten with a small conversation between the two, it had gotten completely dark out, and Aang told him it was time for sleep. He bid Todoroki a goodnight and told him he’d be back in the morning. Once he was alone, Todoroki took the top layers of his robes off of himself and set it to the side. He also pulled the golden crown out of his hair, but left the top knot up, taking a liking to the style. He climbed into bed, feeling completely drained, and fell asleep almost instantly into a deep dreamless sleep.

When he woke up, it wasn’t to the sound of Aang calling out for him like he expected it to be, but instead, Izuku running at him full speed from the stairs leading into the common area of the dorms. 

“ _ SHOUTO?” _ He yelled, “You’re back!” and he pulled Shouto into a big hug, starting to cry, “We were so worried when that guy came here and you were gone, I was so scared I would never see you again, what happened oh my gosh-” 

“So, that wasn’t a dream then I guess?” He said slowly, cutting Izuku off. Midoriya looked at him with a look before pulling back a little bit on the couch, “No, it wasn’t Shouto. I mean, look at what you’re wearing, not to mention your hair,” Shouto looked down and saw the same red robes he fell asleep in and reached up to touch his hair, still up in the knot.

“Oh.” 

* * *

Somewhere in Japan, a villain who had escaped from a multitude of Pro Heros after attacking a student at UA High laughed to themselves in their small apartment. They had felt the tug of travel from Endeavor's son and the other boy switching back to their own places. They knew the relief the two boys must feel to finally be home again would be immense, prompting more joy-filled laughter. 

“Oh, they don’t even know what's coming yet, do they?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY THIS IS SO LATE im drowning in ap gov hw hhhh  
> anyways, hope you guys like this   
> I wonder what that villains quirk could be and what they're gonna do hmmmmmmm


	4. Both

When Zuko woke up again to the light coming through the windows of his own room, he sat up and looked around in slight confusion before he remembered not wanting to deal with it a few hours previously. Being in his room at the Fire Nation palace was never something Zuko thought he’d miss so much, but being back after he thought he wouldn’t be able to see it again, well, if he was a little emotional, he sure wasn’t going to tell anyone.

Zuko was awake for a few short moments before Aang had come into his room without bothering to knock, making Zuko let out a startled yell. Aang looked at Zuko with wide eyes full of shock and then happiness before running up to where Zuko sat on his bed.

“ZUKO!” Aang cried, “I didn’t think I’d see you again so soon, are you okay? I was really worried when you disappeared and this other kid was there and-“ 

“Aang, Aang! It’s okay, I’m okay! I don't really know what that was either honestly, that spirit surprised me too with what it did, you know?” Zuko said, laughing slightly.

“I know, I know. We’ve been through so much together, I couldn’t imagine having to tell the others that you were, you know, gone.” 

Zuko looked up at Aang and sighed, pulling him into a hug. “Aang, I spent so many years chasing after you guys, don’t think i’m going to throw that away already and just disappear.”

Aang laughed and sat down on the large bed as Zuko got up and moved to the desk set up in his room. Zuko picked up a pen and started to write down the details he remembered about this other world he was sent to, not wanting to dismiss it as a dream now that Aang seems to have had an experience with the Todoroki guy he switched places with.

“So, what was it like there?” Aang asked after a few moments of silence, the only sound in the room a pen scribbling, “Were there any spirits? Did you see the clothes they wore? What did the world look like?” Looking over at Aang, Zuko knew that Aang was only going to get more and more excited the longer he could keep going on with his questions.

“Aang slow down! Give me a chance to answer a few of your questions! First, I can't say I saw any spirits, but there were some… strange looking people, that’s for sure” Zuko said, remembering the small rodent-like creature that could somehow talk. “I saw the clothes, yeah, and the whole place was just, I don't know how to describe it really, it was just different. More advanced.” He said, and then paused. “They also don’t, well, bend there. They have-

“-Quirks.”

“Quirks.”

“Yeah,” Aang said, rubbing the back of his head, I heard that bit at least.”

“Thank Agni, If I’m being honest, I had no clue how to start really telling you about everything.” Zuko said, shuffling papers around on his desk. “Speaking of which, I have not eaten in a while, and usually Hina is here by now with my breakfast, did anything happen with that kid here?” He asked.

“Well, we at least made up a flimsy cover story for Todoroki, which was that he’s you, but not the you that belongs here. Thankfully, being the avatar doesn’t get you questioned all that much, and Rai made sure to put off your meetings this week since we didn’t know when you’d be back.” Aang said.

Zuko hummed and stood from his desk, cracking his back. “Well, hopefully I stay here, but since I have no idea if this’ll be a recurring event, I’ll talk to my staff and Guards about it. I’ll write notes down about etiquette and daily routine just in case. In the meantime, I should probably get dressed.” He said, walking towards his wardrobe to pull out his daily robes. “Uh Zuko-“ Aang started to say as his friend opened the doors, but where his usual robes should have been instead layed a pile of neatly folded clothes that looked the same as the uniform the other kids had been wearing in the other world.

“Aang.” Zuko said, turning around slowly, looking annoyed. “Please, tell me that you did not give him my robes.”

Aang let out a small, uneasy chuckle as he tried to inch his way to the door, only to glance at the other side of Zuko's bed, where at least some of his daily robes laid on the ground. “Well, uh, at least he didn’t take, uh, all of it?” 

Zuko walked over to where Aang stood, and saw the outer layers of the robes there, as well as his hairpiece, thankfully. “Well, I guess I can afford a trip to Mr.Lee today. I've been meaning to get measured again, I think I grew.” Zuko said, as he grabbed his headpiece and pulled his hair into a topknot. “Ooh! I’ll go with you!” Aang said, jumping to his feet and following Zuko out of his room. 

* * *

Hearing Midoriya scream Todoroki's name at five in the morning was, in all things considered, somehow not at the top of things Shouta expected to start his (early) day to. He heaved himself out of bed, believing it to be some kind of nightmare the kid was having, and shooed the rest of the students that were poking their heads out of their doors back to bed. 

Walking down the hall to go where the stairs would take him to Midoriya’s room, he paused by the entrance to the common room, and looked over to see Midoriya (no wonder he was so loud) and Todoroki. Rubbing his face, Shouta knew he was gonna have a long day, and walked down the stairs to where the pair was talking. Before he could hear their words, he watched Todoroki reach up and touch his hair, where it was in some kind of bun on the top of his head, almost like the ones Hizashi likes to do.

Clearing his throat to get the attention of the two teens, Shouta chuckled lightly at how they jumped and spread apart, looking more like two guilty criminals caught in the act of crime than two reunited friends. He decided to mentally file that away for later. He stood in front of the other bend of the couch so that he could face them both.

“Congratulations Todoroki, you have officially become a problem child with Midoriya, and considering just how early it is, this might not be the best time for this conversation, but we have to have it and I’d rather have it away from the prying ears of your classmates anyhow. Come on, and follow me.” Shouta said, leading them to where the soundproof conference room they recently added to the dorm building was.

The two boys bounced up, understanding it wasn’t a request, and as tired as Todoroki was, he knew he shouldn’t put off the conversation so he didn’t forget any details.

When they reached the room and were seated at the table, Shouta with a cup of coffee in his hands from the small pot in the corner, he sighed and just looked at the two kids.

“Are you okay, Todoroki? I can imagine it was quite a...shock. I almost thought I’d have to tell Endeavor you were missing.” Shouta says, trying for a joke, but judging by how Todoroki failed to suppress a shudder, he figured that it wasn’t in the best taste. 

“I am okay, Sensei, it was strange, and I thought I had been dreaming but-“ He said as he gestured to himself, still dressed in the clothes that looked straight out of ancient Japan. “At least I had Aang- do you know who Aang is?” He asked, continuing when Shouta nodded “He protected me and helped me out, taking me on some kind of...flying creature he called a sky bison. We went to the, uh, Fire Nation palace because he said the guy I traded places with, Zuko-“ Another nod from Shouta, “He is apparently their ruler or king” Todoroki finished, taking a sip from the water his teacher got for him and Midoryia.

“Thankfully Zuko told us the same thing and that you would be safe with that Aang guy, even though he has to be old as what, I mean Zuko said he was over a hundred years old!” Midoriya said, confused when Todoroki’s eyes flew wide open and he spit out his water, coughing as he asked “WHAT?”

This made Aizawa lean forward in his chair, as Todoroki said “Sensei, there’s no way, I mean that kid had to have been fourteen, fifteen at the oldest. He could not have been older than me or anyone else in the class.” Aizawa closed his eyes and not for the first time, felt a headache forming. He searched his memory for anything that might explain that, but Midoriya cut off his thoughts. 

“I mean, Zuko did say he was trapped in ice for those hundred years, but that would mean Aang had probably been twelve when he escaped his home, if he is about fifteen now.” 

The three of them sat in silence for a moment, all knowing about the unfortunate history of Aang people and why he had to escape. 

“I want to make this clear, I do not like this one bit” Shouta said, rubbing his face again, “But, Todoroki we don't know if this is the result of only a quirk affecting you or a… spirit as Zuko said. That being said, I don’t know if this trading place business is going to happen again, and if it does, I give you express permission to operate in a way that you best feel will keep you safe, quirk use or not.” Looking at his student, Todoroki nodded mutely, as Midoriya grabbed his hand and held it tight. 

“But, since I know you’re safe for the time being at least, we should go over a story in case this happens again. I want to protect Zuko’s privacy as much as possible, so I ask that you two not discuss any points of his life that he himself has not shared with everyone, especially if god forbid, he meets the rest of your class.” He said, the two boys nodding. “I also ask that you don’t tell people outside of UA staff, not even your father, Todoroki.” 

“I wouldn’t dream of it” Todoroki muttered under his breath.

“For now, since it's just past six in the morning on a Saturday, I suggest you go back to sleep to prepare for the onslaught of questions from your classmates once they realize you’re back, Todoroki.” Shouta said, standing up. “Or, you can go with Midoriya for his morning exercise.”

The two boys looked at each other, and gave the other a small smile. Todoroki looked back to his teacher and Shouta knew his decision. “Alright, be safe you two, and don’t somehow break a bone, Midoriya.” The second attempt at a joke was a success, and they both laughed and told Shouta they’d be careful. 

They all left the conference room, and Shouta walked them to Todorokis room so we could get ready. “I’m going back to sleep now, but I will alert the staff you are back. I’ll inform them of everything we talked about so we don't have to repeat anything, but i imagine Nedzu will want to have a meeting. If you need me, you know how to reach me.” Shouta said, turning around at their quick nods and left for his room.

He sent a message to Nedzu, knowing the principal will circulate the information to the rest of the staff.

**_Aizawa Shouta_ **

**_Nedzu, Todoroki is back in the dorms in the same spot I left the kid in. Not sure if situation is permanent, but all information checks out. Meeting later? -_ ** **6:20**

**** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **_Nedzu_ ** ****

**** **** **_Thank you for informing me. Full staff meeting at noon._ ** **\- 6:25**

**_Aizawa Shouta_ **

**_Alright._ ** **\- 6:26**

* * *

In a small, run down apartment building a few cities over, a woman sat in the center of her dirty living room and closed her eyes. She held completely still for a few moments before her eyes snapped open and her quirk came to life. All around her was a bright, glowing light that would’ve been impossible to look at if there had been anyone there to see it. 

A moment later, the light dissipated and the woman sat still again, a little bit of blood dripping down her nose as she let out what can only be described as a maniacal laugh.

“Oh Endeavor, you never should have crossed me!” She yelled, laughing harder. “And now your son is going to pay!”

She got up from her spot on her living room floor and crossed over to where her bedroom was. Opening the door revealed a room coated in papers and thread, photos of Endeavor in any and every public appearance from the past few months as well as his son, Todoroki Shouto. Strings of red thread crossed around every part of the room, covering the pictures in a confusing maze of string.

She walked over to where a blank space was and pulled a small picture out of her back pocket. She grabbed a pin out of a bowl and attached it to the wall. The picture wasn’t of Endeavor or Shouto, but of Zuko on the UA campus, fighting against Aizawa.

She smiled again, a deranged type of look. “It’s all coming together!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been.....a while,,,, i graduated high school and started college a month ago, and I got my wisdom teeth out yesterday. I kinda fell out of the bnha fandom for a bit, but I’m back now babey. Hope y’all enjoy, Ive been thinking of plot, but for now I’m setting up the swap(s) so that we can have a bit of fun!!!!! Love y’all, thank you for the patience, gonna try n be more on top of updates now!


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